


Green Chrysanthemum

by lalunaticscribe (orphan_account)



Category: Chinese History RPF, Chinese Mythology, Judge Dee, Original Work, Táng Cháo | Tang Dynasty RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Chang'an, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Demons, Demons and Monsters, Gen, Ghosts, Gong-An, Howcatchem, Inverted Mystery, Murder Mystery, Spirits, Tang Dynasty, pilot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-16 16:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5832814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/lalunaticscribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Judge Dee supernatural mystery gong'an, done in the urban fantasy style of Tang Dynasty China.</p><p>PILOT</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment, follow and tell me what you think! - LLS

 

Judge Di sat at the head of the court, stroking his beard. The brushes upon the official desk of the court hung from their frames, the ink-sticks arranged neatly with red and black. Some steps before the dais where the desk stood knelt the accused. The jowls of fat around his neck proved the rich life Xing An had enjoyed directly before being arrested and dragged before the Judge's malevolent black eyes, to the curious audience of many passers-by.

The audience, however, were more concerned with the woman dripping water all over the court floor and the other one next to her. Several constables touched their hats on either side of the honourable judge, giving the two women a wide berth.

“Let it be declared that, on the case of the drowning of Miss Lü Ju at the Green Chrysanthemum Court, taken place at the sixth day of the seventh month of this first year of the Xianheng era, Xing An has been judged guilty, and is sentenced to death. May the sentence be carried out!” The judge then looked at the dripping wet woman with his naturally piercing eyes. “Miss Lü Ju, you have been avenged.”

“Lü Ju gives her thanks to Lord Di. Farewell, Lord Di, Madame Beike.” The dripping woman made a tiny curtsy of the style common to the Imperial Court, before drifting away. In the flickering light, it was apparent that she cast no shadow as she melted away.

The other woman turned on the Judge with a sweep of her celadon robes. “Beike must say, Lord Di, that this is rather unprecedented. I've never met a man so devoted to justice, he would summon a ghost to testify.”

The Judge spoke after a pause. “Madame Beike. It is an exceptional case that would require the testimony of ghosts and demons. The case of Miss Lü Ju was such an unfortunate case, hence our meeting."


	2. 〡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Tang Dynasty with liberties taken to its history. I will blend canon as I see fit here, because I find that the urban fantasy feel of the Detective Dee movies fit what I'[m looking for better than the novels.
> 
> It is 6 July 670: the Hungry Ghost Month.

Green Chrysanthemum Court was nominally owned by Madam Beike, but for the purposes of its function was overseen by three madams. Such was the scale of its reach that the three madams were a formidable triumvirate. Yet, in the dead of the hour of the rat, just as the sixth day of the seventh month had begun, that one of its madams was lying in a sodden heap on the wooden planking of the first madam's room.1

Madam Beike glared down at the corpse on the ground, and then looked up to its owner with a rush of her light blue skirt. “Well, Lü Ju. What do we do now?”

“Beike-dàjie, why are you making light of my death?!” Lü Ju moaned. In her youth she had been as pretty and chubby as the barely ripened chrysanthemums of her name and the namesake of their shared brothel. That barely shed baby fat had followed her into middle age and her rise amongst the literati of Chang'an, and now it looked singularly unattractive after having been dunked with the woman still attached into the nearest well. “I died a wrongful death at the hands of that Xing An! Eldest Sister! Second Sister!”

“Who's crying in the middle of the- Lü Ju?!” The third woman, who had been yawning, exclaimed. “Big Sister, what's going on?! What happened to Lü Ju?!”

“Sir Xing happened, apparently. Close the door.” Beike's tone was deceptively insouciant as she picked up the left hand of the corpse.

Yúnquè did as told. “Sir Xing? That man just came today to harass Third Sister... yo don't mean, Lü Ju, you met him in private?”

“I didn't mean to!” the newly created ghost wailed. “He sent over a nice poem and wanted to see me once last time at his house. I thought I was safe!”

The hand remained raised when Beike let go of it. “From what I can see, it has been one hour since Lü Ju's ghost came to me about her wrongful death. From what I can tell, Xing An killed her by strangulation – yes, there's the finger-marks, see? – and then threw her down the well to confuse the time of death. I told you already not to follow him!”

”Big Sister!” Lü Ju, or her ghost, quickly knelt to hug Beike's knees. “Lü Ju knows her mistakes! But you have to get justice for me!”

“I am thinking!” Beike's face hardened. “That bastard will not be let off.”

“Big Sister!” Yúnquè begged. “You are a great demon. You took us in when Lü Ju and Yúnquè had nowhere to go. Could your magic revive Lü Ju?”

“Water is the source of life; what it gives, it can take.” Beike frowned. “Lü Ju, I can only safeguard your ghost from the Black and White Impermanence at this stage2.”

Yúnquè started as a gong resounded outside their elegant paradise. “Then, what about Lü Ju's body?! What will we do?!”

“About this...” Beike's lips slowly curved. “Lü Ju, I will place your spirit into a necklace, put it on your body, and then put your body next to the well. You will do as I say, and I will make you visible to the night watchman. If we act fast, we should be in time to make the act of a wrongfully killed woman rising to accuse her killer.”

* * *

“Lord Di! Lord Di!”

“Enough, enough! What is with all the noise?” Judge Di yawned into his sleeve, climbing up from his pallet to clamber about the room. Pouring a morsel of cold tea into a small cup and downing it in one fluid motion, the secretary general of the Supreme Court. “Come in.”

The door to his room creaked open, and two uniformed soldiers marched in. “Lord Di. A dead courtesan was found at the North Hamlet. Lord Yuchi sent word that your presence is required.”

There was a slide of silk. “Lord Yuchi certainly has a fondness for waking up my lord in the middle of the night.”

“First Lady Di.” The sergeant greeted her politely.

“Madam, I propose you get back to sleep, since one of us is not suffering the summons of Yuchi Zhenjin.” Judge Di replied as he pulled on his outer robe and belt slowly. It would have been slovenly, but Di Renjie supposed that Yuchi was used to all sorts in the service of the Supreme Court. “I will be back soon.”

“The palanquin, my lord?” She asked.

“No. At this hour of the ox...” Di straightened his back and led the sergeants out.

The great capital of Chang'an was dim and desolate, paper and bits of ashes floating about in the wake of the Hungry Ghost Festival. Judge Di, like other officers of the Supreme Court not currently on shift, lived in the headquarters for the Service for Supreme Justice at the northern end. Given the grid layout of the Tang capital, it was simple enough to navigate his way to the gay and bright North Hamlet, the centre of the city's prostitution and entertainment trade. Navigating through the quarters itself was a different matter, as he found out that a crowd of sleepy and wakeful men and women alike had deviated from their wine-soaked observances of the seventh month around an elegant building, made of both brick and wood. The crowd parted under his stern gaze with much muttering and application of elbows.

“Di Renjie, you're late!” The sword-wearing officer commented, waving aside a brush-wielding aide bearing an empty book and a jotting brush.

“Early or late is the will of Heaven; I came just in time like everyone else.” The judge rebutted, stepping past the line of officers bodily keeping the crowd at hand. “Lord Yuchi, may I ask what happened?”

The Supreme Court Chief Minister led him along the alley to an extensive garden, surrounded by a high wall. A well-kept path wound amongst flowering shrubs to the farthest corner.

There, in the shade of two tall oak trees, stood an well, built on a round brick platform. Slumped on the well, supported by her arms and torso on the rim of the well, was the body of a dead courtesan, her face frozen and her left hand bearing the marks of having clawed her way up. The officers on the scene clearly shared some discomfort with her, if the fervently muttered mantras was any indication.

“I can understand, Lord Yuchi.” Di Renjie started after a moment of silence, turning to his colleague. “The Ghost Festival is in eight days, isn't it?”

“Very good, Lord Di.” Lord Yuchi shook his head. “We need to resolve this panic.”

“In that we are in agreement, if nothing else. What happened?”

“The night watchman was sounding the time, and discovered the body like this.” Lord Yuchi rattled off. “He then saw the same lady walk up to her own body and lament that Xing An killed her and threw her down the well. Qin Jie!” His sudden exclamation fairly shocked the judge. “Give your statement to Lord Di!”

“Yes!” A casually dressed man hugging his gong and lantern rushed forward. “Your Excellency, it was a ghost! S- She turned her head around, without tuning her body, and called me Xing An! T- Then... I ran with fright and called the _y_ _á_ _m_ _é_ _n_.”

“It's alright, but when did you discover the body?” asked the judge.

“I- I was just calling out the hour of the ox at that time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Your Excellency! I looked at the water clock at the Silver Cicada Temple on my way.”

The judge nodded in comprehension. “Alright. Men, take the body to the _yámén_ for the autopsy.”

“B- But...” the two officers begged, “T- The ghost...”

“Then are you going to let her fall back into the well? No manners! Sergeant Chao, take her up!”

“Y- Yes! Watchman, you come too!” The officer whispering mantras grew more pale, especially as the equally pale night watchman helped him pull the body out from the well and laid out onto a straw mat to be carried away.

“T- This is Green Chrysanthemum Court's Third Madame, Lü Ju!” Qin Jie realised.

“Night watchman,” Lord Di started, “do you recognise the victim?”

“Of course, Your Excellency! I don't think anyone in the flower houses of Chang'an could mistake her!” Qin Jie warmed up to the topic. “As the word goes: 'mysterious as the clam, graceful as the skylark, united with the green chrysanthemum as the best of flowers'.3 For their flower house to continue with three madames is tough.”

He paused in realisation. “Ah, that rich man Xing An, he proposed to be Madame Lü Ju's first patron. He fought Master Liu from Shanzhou with a thousand silver taels!”

“Xing An is an associate of Chancellor Zhao Renben,” Yuchi Zhenjin recalled. “We'll need solid evidence.”

“Since we need to wait until daylight to examine the well and for the results to come, I guess we should inform Green Chrysanthemum Court of the sad news.” Judge Di assessed. “I think we should question them as well... what's wrong?” he asked when nobody responded to his statement.

“N- Nothing!” Qin Jie bowed lightly. “I just wanted to guide Your Excellencies to Green Chrysanthemum Court.”

“Then go!” Judge Di turned to the Chief Minister. “Lord Yuchi, please come as well.”

“What's wrong, a man can't face two women? Di Renjie, don't embarrass the Supreme Court!” Yuchi Zhenjin considered the name. “Green Chrysanthemum Court... I've met their Second Madame, but never the First and Third Madame.”

“The First Madame holes up in her rooms and reads books all day.” Qin Jie sighed. “It's really the Second and Third Madames that handle the business of their flower house. The Second Madame focuses on attracting patrons, and the Third Madame handles the in-house needs.”

“Yet, the Court bears the Third Madame's name...” Judge Di commented as they approached the multi-storey building that stood alone, but also had a small courtyard bursting with its namesake. “Oh, this place is named for its green chrysanthemums. No wonder.”

“Indeed, sir.”

“And the reason why a night watchman would know so much about this first-class flower house... Qin Jie,” started the judge, “surely you haven't tried to bring some business here before?”

“I wouldn't dare, Lord Di!” The watchman shuddered. “The First Madame secludes herself to keep business flowing for the house. About Sir Xing An's bidding with Master Liu of Shanzhou, a little bird told me that Master Liu dropped the bid after catching sight of Madame Beike. Everyone in the district knows that he spent his entire family fortune in courting the First Madame and damned himself in the imperial examinations. Master Liu returned home in disgrace.”

“Looks like we would have a chance to admire the flowers,” muttered the Chief Minister. “What do you think, Lord Di?”

“I am in agreement, Lord Yuchi. Looks like there is a poison amongst the flowers.” And they entered Green Chrysanthemum Court.

* * *

_**1 The Chinese hour of the rat means 11pm to 1am, around midnight.** _

_**2 The Heibai Wuchang (** _ _**黑白无常** _ _**), literally "Black and White Impermanence", are two deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the Underworld.** _

_**3 ** _ _**贝壳** _ _**means 'clam shell'.** _ _**云雀** _ _**refers to skylarks.** _ _**绿菊** _ _**is the green chrysanthemum.** _


	3. Chapter 3

〢

Green Chrysanthemum Court might be a brothel, but Judge Di had to pause to admire the green pillars, the part-brick, the wooden façade of the building lined with railings to open a veranda, and the eponymous green chrysanthemums of the flower house.

“This is a nice place,” he said to Lord Yuchi.

“Why are you standing outside then, Di Renjie?” was the impatient reply. “Go in!”

The red lanterns that graced the front porch were guarded by two watchmen, both florid of face and stout like guardian trees. They bowed to the two uniformed officers, and in response the officers allowed themselves to be ushered past staggering men and simpering willowy flower-girls up one of several staircases to the second and third floors.

Qin Jie cringed as he followed the officials across the ground floor and into a tastefully decorated room that, rather strangely, resembled a scholar's office more than a part of the bordello. There were no flowers, tea trays or clothings that were to be expected in such a flowery location. Small and solid low desks, shelves of books, ink slabs, abacuses, boxes of ink sticks and racks of drying brushes dominated the room instead. On the far end of the room next to the lacquered lattice windows, was a completely black wall bearing white markings.

“Does a flower-house require so many books?” wondered Chief Minister Yuchi Zhenjin aloud. He picked one up, flipped through it. “Embroidery patterns?”

The door creaked open, and Lord Yuchi's question was forgotten as there came floating a goddess.

There was really no other word for it, reflected the judge. The eyebrows curved like willow leaves, the misty black dots set within peach-blossom eyes, a tiny mouth of cherry-red, a robe of purple clouds embroidered with white silk threads surrounding her. She looked like she was floating, to swim nearer and nearer. Glorious, incredible, breathtaking!

The book on embroidery pattern dropped from Lord Yuchi's hands. It slipped from his clutches. He made a dive after it, his felt hat falling off of his head and dropping onto the floor.

It was the arm of the goddess that caught him. The martial pride of the Tang Supreme Court began to stammer: 

“T- Thank you, miss. M- May I...?”

And then she smiled kindly and said cheerfully: “Please be careful, Your Excellency.”

The magic died completely. A nice, healthy-looking, wealthy courtesan was there; the goddess was gone.

Judge Di ruminated for a moment, reflecting what would have happened if the heavens had given Xi Shi those flat accents, and rendered the famous beauty unable to enter the annals of history. Such is the will of heaven, that a girl could trouble your inmost soul so long as she kept her mouth shut, and that the moment she spoke, the glamour could vanish as though it had never been.

“Second Madame, these are the two officials who came,” said a maid whom the illustrious judge only noticed just now.

“Oh? This humble woman Yúnquè greets Your Excellencies. May Yúnquè ask for Your Excellencies' families and names?” The goddess executed a perfect bow that brought a blush to the judge's face.

“We are from the Supreme Court,” replied the judge. “On this dark night, we have brought terrible news about a Miss Lü Ju.”

“Third Sister?” Concern graced her lovely oval face, causing the judge to feel for her. “What happened?”

“Madame, perhaps you should summon your eldest sister.”

“Big Sister is asleep, having taken the day shift to supervise the girls.” Yúnquè frowned. “What has happened to Lü Ju?”

“She is dead.”

Shock crossed her face, striking pain into the hearts of men who should have been hardened by their shared experiences in the Imperial Court. “N- No... Third Sister...”

“Third Mother is dead?” echoed the maid. “Second Mother?”

Yúnquè pulled out a handkerchief from her voluminous sleeve, holding it up to her face. “Bao'er, go and call upon Big Sister,” came the muffled command. “She needs to be here.”

“F- First Mother?!” the maid paled. That caused the judge to reflect upon the abilities of the woman who could scare a brothel worker, especially a little maid who had likely seen all that was possible within the confines of these walls.

“She should be in the second study. Now go get Big Sister.”

The four people jumped as a rap sounded on the door frame. “Leaving the door wide open like that, it invites the wind to sweep into this great study.”

“First Mother!” the maid bowed immediately.

Black sleeves edged with sky-blue rippled out in a formal bow. “Beike greets Your Excellencies.”

Judge Di studied the courtesan. Possessed of smooth skin, clear features, and elegant bearing, there was, to him, frankly nothing much about Beike that not only gave her the eldest position amongst the three sisters, but her fearsome reputation.

“Bao'er. Tea for our guests.” The woman, whose long black hair was coiled into a hairstyle emulating that of immortals, caused the maid to jump. “Beike begs your Excellencies to overlook our Bao'er.”

“Big Sister, something terrible has happened!” the goddess exclaimed to the other woman who entered in a sweep of black. “Lü Ju is dead!”

Unlike the hysteric-looking goddess, the woman in black was silent for a moment. She then turned her head, allowing Judge Di to glimpse one grey eye glimmering with an unshed tear, the spasm of her cheek muscle, the delicate curve of her cheek dimpling with a bite.

“...Where? When?” Those phrased questions raised the judge's estimate. Here was a woman of self-control, a woman in a thousand comparable to any queen, perhaps even to the Heavenly Empress.

“She was found at the hour of the rat at the well down the street,” replied the Judge. “Our apologies for disturbing you, but this is an emergency.”

“Surely our Lü Ju has not attracted the attentions of the Supreme Court? The east of Chang'an is managed under the Wannian  _yámén_.” Beike's brows knitted. “Was she in trouble?”

“She was found inside the well.” relayed the judge. “As the unusual circumstances of her death in the seventh month has been judged a volatile time, the Supreme Court will step in with the permission of the Imperial Court.”

A deep breath from the oldest sister drew his attention. “Your Excellency, when may we sisters collect the body for the funeral?”

“I will send men to inform you once the autopsy is completed.”

“Then, Beike thanks Your Excellencies, Chief Judge Di and Chief Minister Yuchi, for your efforts this night.”

“Oh, our reputation must have stretched far and wide,” commented the Chief Minister.

“Lord Di's reputation for fair judgements precedes his honourable self, and Lord Yuchi's persistence for justice in the course of investigation garners admiration. For the fortunes of our august city do Your Excellencies work so hard. Beike believes that, since Your Excellencies had personally come to inform we sisters, that Your Excellencies have leads as to the manner of our sister's death.”

“It was not an accident,” began the judge. “We would like to understand Miss Lü Ju's whereabouts for the evening.”

Beike nodded. “Lü Ju took the morning shift to supervise the house's daily operations. She should have been exhausted and asleep in her room.”

“The madames work in shifts?”

“Indeed. Third Sister usually handles the external operations, ensuring that our supplies came in on time and with enough stocks. Her time on duty goes from the hour of the rabbit to the hour of the horse, including breakfast and lunch. Beike supervises the girls' training from the hour of the goat to the hour of the dog, and the girls have a light dinner. Second Sister looks after the business from the hour of the pig to the hour of the tiger, which is the busiest time.”1

“Training?” echoed the judge.

“Your Excellency, our girls who aspire to become an entertainer do their training here,” the first madame demurely replied. “Beike serves to impart what few skills there can be for them to become qualified. Lü Ju and Yúnquè were also Beike's students prior to their graduation as entertainers, and Bao'er is currently also a student.”2

Now Judge Di caught on. A normal prostitute might find it a necessity to service men. Entertainer courtesans, on the other hand, were the highest class of courtesans, served the highest society solely through their arts, and could pick and choose their patrons, with the possibility of a good marriage later in life. The requirements to become an entertainer, though, were arduous; good dressing and grooming could only go so far. Proper table and drinking manners, artistic skill in perhaps dancing, music, singing and conversing in verse, amongst many other skills, were necessary to even pass as the lowest of these high flowers. The future of those trainees, and by extension that of Green Chrysanthemum Court, thus lay in the hands of this Madame, and explained how even the other two Madames bowed to this comparatively homely yet formidable woman.

“In short, Miss Lü Ju was free for the rest of the day?” Lord Yuchi asked when the judge was considering this fact.

“Third Sister sat in our class for the  _guqin_.” Beike considered. “She performed well here. That was around the hour of the rooster.”

“She was still alive then.” Judge Di considered the room. “Very well. Miss Beike, Miss Yúnquè, my deepest apologies for this disruption to your routines, but we must pursue this investigation. May I enquire if Miss Lü Ju had any enemies?”

Beike's reddened lips parted. “Is Your Excellency referring to the general lot of competing entertainers, or towards those who wished her death? The situation could have changed from one to the other.”

The judge was taken aback. While rivalries might be expected in a society as cloistered as that of the North Hamlet, surely the Inner Palace's rivalries between imperial concubines had to be much worse. “Changed?”

“Third Sister was entertaining suitors.”

“Jealousy?” asked the chief minister.

Beike's eyes were downcast. “Beike does not know.”

Something came to the judge. “Was a man named Xing An amongst the suitors?”

“Sir Xing? He was. Though money and background are prominent advantages, such men number amongst Lü Ju's admirers. Beike does not know if Third Sister had feelings for him, or met him.”

“I would imagine the bride price to be significant, then,” commented the judge.

“Bride price?” echoed Beike. “Your Excellency, Beike dares to clarify something. In order for Third Sister to choose her bridegroom, we sisters agreed to waive the bride price. We only request that the prospective groom settles some wealth on our sister to help her in times of trouble. The only issue would have been the wedding costs.”

Behind Lord Di, Lord Yuchi kept staring at Beike, his eyebrows threatening to jump off of his face. “That's very open-minded of you, madame. I would imagine that most madames would have welcomed the money.”

Beike blinked at his statement, almost in shock. “I just wanted her to be happy...” whispered the courtesan. “She had a life ahead of her, and now... now someone took that from her.”

* * *

_**Critiquez, s'il vous plaît !** _

_**1An hour here is a Chinese hour, 1 Chinese hour = 2 Western hours. So, Lü Ju was on shift from 5 am to 1 pm, Beike from 1 pm to 9 pm, and Yúnquè from 9 pm to 5 am.** _

_**2A yìjì (Chinese: ** _ _**艺妓** _ _**) was a high-class courtesan in ancient China. Yiji were rarely involved in direct sex trade, but rather performed music and arts such as poetry to please dignitaries and intellectuals. I am using 'entertainer' as a synonym for yiji.** _


End file.
